


Road to the End, Volume 9

by digitaleva



Series: Road to the End [10]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-02-28 12:34:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 14,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13271559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaleva/pseuds/digitaleva
Summary: Picking up two months after the events of Volume 8, Things begin picking up speed as an eventual confrontation approaches.





	1. The Wonderful Wizard Called Ozpin

Two months had passed since the mission to rescue Ozpin, and things were slowly resettling to their normal day-to-day operations This was especially welcomed after the nightmare that had been the paperwork to begin the transfer from Taiyang to Ozpin as headmaster.

Out of all the staff, it seemed that Glynda was the most relieved to have the cane wielding man back.

"You don't think that...." Taiyang would be cut off by Port.

"Glynda and Ozpin have been in each other's company for years. I'm certain her relief is.... merely... from him... being..."

The older huntsman was cutoff as they watched the pair lean in, Ozpin putting his arm around Glynda as the two met in a brief kiss.

"What was that, Pete?"

Oobleck stepped in just as the blonde was asking his question.

"You mean to tell me that none of you were aware of their marital status? Peter, I can remember it being no secret....." He continued to ramble on as the couple stepped even further away from them.

Ozpin glanced back briefly, a smile forming on his face.

"What is it?"

"Glynda, I can honestly say that they are the right people for their jobs. As for us, I would like things to go back to normal. But I know that I cannot possibly expect that."

"Agreed. You've been away for nearly a decade, and things at the school are quite different from..."

"Glynda, I'm not talking about the school," the silver haired professor interrupted, putting a stop to their walk. "I meant with us. I wouldn't blame you if you were to go through and say things had changed. That you had moved on."

The emerald-eyed professor stepped back a bit at this. "Oz, I would never do that. We made a promise years ago to each other, remember? I... I held out for you."

She stepped forward.

"I wanted you to come back."

She stepped forward again, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I needed you to come back."

She moved her head towards his, her mouth coming to stop next to his ear.

"And I need you now."

The taller Hunter looked back at her, his expression soft, his eyes relaying his message long before he could open his mouth.

"Glynda, you know I would never leave you like that. We do, of course, have Qrow to thank for our reunion... but that can wait until later. For now, why don't we go back to our room and figure things out?"

Glynda leaned in towards her returned partner, resting her head on his shoulder as she wrapped her arm around his waist. She wouldn't openly show it in public, but she had missed the man she had fallen for well over 20 years prior, and she wasn't going to let him go again if she could help it.

Over at the now permanent lodging for Team RWBY, Yang was curled up on the bed she shared with Blake and Sun. She had said what she needed to say to her mother two months ago. And she meant those words, hadn't she?

The door cracked open slightly, and Blake slipped inside. Sitting gently on the edge of the mattress, she reached out a hand, but pulled it back as she heard her partner's voice.

"I meant it, didn't I? I.. I want to forget her. But I just... I just can't."

"Yang...."

The soft response was met with the blonde woman nearly tackling her off the bed. She latched on, and began to sob uncontrollably into her partner, her tears soaking into the fabric of Blake's shirt.

"Shhh..... Yang, it's okay. You did what you had to."

"I... I had questions. I never asked. And now... Now I'll never know the answers..."

Out in the living room, Sun and Ruby were keeping Luna and Aqua occupied while Weiss made dinner.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Weiss," Ruby responded, "if I know my sister, then she'll pull through this. We just need to give her time. And Blake is the right person for the job!"

"Ruby's right! Blake just... she makes you want to change for the better, ya know?"

Weiss sighed. She knew they were right, but she also knew this was a huge defeat for the blonde, despite the victory. It was bittersweet. Even Qrow had been slightly more sullen and stand-offish than normal when they had returned. It didn't sit right with her, seeing her sister's lover and one of her best friends both sharing this same mood. The major thing she took solace in was that Yang wasn't clinging to a bottle for emotional help.

"Still, it would be like finally getting the chance to ask anything you want, but there being an arbitrary time limit placed on asking it that you weren't aware of."

Both Sun and Ruby glanced at each other. They hated seeing Yang like this, but they also understood that there was nothing that they could do about it. They all jumped when a knock came at the door. Ruby rose from her seated position to answer it.

"Hey, dad."

"How's she doing?"

Ruby motioned to the bedroom, where the faint sounds of Blake's voice soothing her partner could be barely heard. Taiyang looked down at the ground for a moment before producing an envelope from behind his back.

"This... Qrow left this for Yang... just before he left. He asked me not to open it."

He shifted the package to one side, revealing a second envelope.

"And this one.... I wanted Yang to have what's inside. It's... it's been long enough. She deserves to know."

"Did you... wanna come in?"

"Nah. I've got a thing in town with Blake's parents. I should get to know them better, right?"

Ruby shrugged. She had barely gotten to get used to Weiss' father before he had died, so she wasn't sure where to take the comment.

"I guess. See you later, dad."

She turned to close the door, but stopped and caught her father in a hug.

"I love you, dad."

"Love you, too, Ruby."

Back in the staff lodgings, Ozpin and Glynda were going over news papers from the past 7 years.

"It would seem that I have missed a lot of things."

"Yes, you have. The world has changed, but the Grimm are getting worse."

"Glynda, you know what I am, right?"

"Oz, I have known from the beginning what you are. You weren't exactly secretive about it."

"I'm probably the worst one."

"No. You aren't. You're wonderful. So your family has a duty that has been passed down from generation to generation."

She put her hand on the side of his face, lovingly cupping his cheek.

"You aren't your predecessors. We can make the moves to end this. I know it."

Ozpin smiled softly. The woman across from him was all he could have asked for and more. He couldn't possibly dream of repaying the debt he owed her. Not in his own lifetime, anyway.

"You're right, Glynda. We can fix this. I'm going to need Ms. Rose to help me, though."


	2. Memories of Mother

"What's the deal with this, Ruby?"

Yang had just been handed both packages that had been entrusted to her. Her expression was quizzical, and she wasn't sure what was going on.

"No clue. Dad just said to give 'em to you."

"Why didn't you do that sooner?"

Ruby looked at the floor, slightly embarrassed.

"You were upset, and Blake was calming you down. So I decided to wait."

Yang sat down at the table and opened the first of the envelopes. What fell out was a series of photos from their father's younger days, starting with their initiation at Beacon. What followed was a series of events covering so much of Team STRQ's tenure at the academy, including the day Qrow discovered Taiyang and Raven were dating. Also in the package was a small notebook, with her mother's initials on the inside of the front cover. 

Deciding to investigate the book a little later, Yang opened the second package. Inside were letters from Raven to Taiyang, several of which were still unopened. The envelope also contained a small disc.

"What's this?"

Yang, allowing curiosity to get the better of her, walked over to the computer that Weiss had gifted them and inserted the storage device. Almost immediately, it started playing.

"Qrow, don't you dare! They're cute!"

Yang recognized that voice. It belonged to Team STRQ's leader, and her surrogate mother, Summer.

There was a flash as the video shifted over to another day. Obviously out of order, the video showed Qrow triumphantly marching out of their dorm room wearing a skirt as her mother and father laughed.

Several more flashes brought about the same results: skipping around through time. If her uncle had put this together, it was a sign that he didn't understand the first thing about organization, but she had come to expect that. Just as she was smiling slightly, the videos started getting closer to when she was born.

"And I'm telling you, Tai! My sister isn't just going to be a mother! It's not in her nature!"

"She could always change, Qrow!"

Seeing her father and uncle fight like this hurt. She wasn't sure who had recorded this, but it wasn't her mother, who was visibly sitting at the table with her head in her hands.

"Would both of you just shut up? I'll figure out what I'll do on my own, brother. As for you," her mother rose quickly as she approached Taiyang, "You and I did this, and we are going to have to figure it out."

The next few seemed to be in order, as her mother was progressively more and more pregnant as they went on.

"Do you seriously need to be recording everything, Summer!?"

"Raven, please. Calm down. She's not doing anything wrong!"

"And you! Taiyang Xiao Long, you can shut it! The only one of you that hasn't gotten on my nerves this week is my idiot brother!"

The three, who in previous videos had seemed so close, were fighting amongst themselves. Then, she saw it. Or, more accurately, heard it. One last audio clip before things went the way they had.

"I got an offer, Tai. I'm going to take it."

"But Raven, she's only 6 months old."

"The strong survive, and the weak perish. I told you this from the start, remember?"

"She's your daughter, Raven!"

The door to the house she knew so well slammed shut, and she could hear her father swearing in the background.

Deciding that her daughter didn't need to be woken up by this, she turned it off. The disc had provided some answers, but no real closure. As she walked back to the table, she heard a crinkling noise under her feet. Looking down, she noticed a folded piece of paper.

Picking it up, she unfolded it, and read the contents.

-Hey, firecracker,  
-I know that this isn't the best method for talking to you about things, but if you want the rest, you'll have to come see me.  
-I could only fit so much on that disc, and these envelopes are too damn small, so... there's that.  
-See ya 'round,  
-Qrow  
-P.S. - Some of those things, I want you to show your sister, okay?

"That jerk."

Ruby looked over at her sister. "Huh?"

"Some of these things, Uncle Qrow wants you to see, too."

"Just set 'em aside. I know you need the answers more than me," the younger sibling said as she walked towards the door. "Weiss is making dinner tonight, and I will not be late again."

Before she could leave, she was met with one of her sister's bear hugs.

"Yang... Yang... You're crushing me."

"Oops. Sorry, Ruby. And thank you."

"For what?"

"These. And... for just not giving up on me, even when I pushed you away."

"Yang, you're my sister. I couldn't push you away if I tried."

As she walked away, the door closing behind her, Yang said one last thing.

"I love you."

She then returned her attention to the images on the table. And the mysterious notebook. Opening it, she realized that it was her mother's own diary from when she was younger. And it told her a good chunk of the missing information. She chose to skip over the more... intimate musings on her father's prowess, not wanting to picture Taiyang ever doing that. But, just like the videos, the entries turned darker as time went on. It was the last entry that sealed it for her.

-June 22, XXXX  
-I'm leaving. I can't do this whole domestic thing. I've done my part for this child. No more. Time to cut ties and move on. Qrow had the nerve to reprimand me for it! He's turned his back on the tribe and our need to survive. This team has made him soft.  
-Not me. I'm strong. I'll survive.  
-The good doctor has promised my clan's continued protection from that woman from my dreams if I assist him in his endeavors to collect data on the Grimm. Complete freedom.  
-No worrying about that screaming child all day. Just doing what I need. This is perfect.

Yang, in a blind fury, whipped the book across the room, cracking the window on the far side. Secretly, she had always wanted her mother to actually care about something other than strength. To worry about her and how she was doing. But the diary had confirmed what she had guessed long ago: Her mother had one love above all - Herself. And it hurt her to read those words. Nothing would soften that blow.

Then the thoughts came crashing to the foreground. The whole time since her daughter had been born, she had done almost nothing except think about what she wanted. Returning to the bedroom, which was scarily empty, since Blake and Sun had taken both Luna and Aqua out for a while, she flung herself into the bed and grabbed a pillow.

Pressing her face into the plush object, she screamed, followed by her collapsing into a fit of crying. The thoughts had connected themselves in her head. She was acting exactly like her mother. The very person she had professed to be different than, she had been emulating. And nobody had spoken up to stop her.


	3. Parental Pasts

True to her word, Adria had stuck around to watch her daughter train. She also bore witness to something she hadn't expected to see: Her daughter self-administering a haircut.

~Two weeks prior~

The young Faunus hit the ground hard, her slim frame doing little to absorb the impact. She winced as she got up, glancing at her scroll. As she had expected, low Aura level. She couldn't continue fighting. But she couldn't just stand her hair the length it was any more, either. She looked at her instructor.

"Hold out your sword."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Obliging to the odd request, Obsidian drew his weapon, the massive blade unfolding to its full length. As he held the razor sharp tool out, Lilian placed her hair over the blade and reached under. Dropping to the ground, she severed the strands just shy of her head.

"That's better. Now it won't get in the way any more."

~Present Day~

"I still wish you had let me cut your hair, sweetie."

Lilian looked at her mother, her face displaying the same, flat expression she had been wearing since waking up after being attacked almost 10 months back.

According to every psychiatrist her mother spoke with, her daughter was displaying either a completely reckless level of dissociation from the outside world to continue going on as she was, or she was stronger than most people who had been in her situation. These conversations usually ended with them realizing it was sheer stubbornness that was keeping her going, along with slightly elevated emotional outbursts when the topic of her brother and revenge came up.

"Mom, it's fine. Just leave it alone."

Chalking the response up to teenage rebellion and the out of whack hormones that came with it, Adria ignored the comment and stepped away as the younger Faunus threw the jacket that Alcian had gifted her around her shoulders and left.

"Will she...?"

"She'll be back. She goes out, vents, and then comes back. Usually being towed by Alcian."

Nickel's response, despite cutting Adria off, was perfectly timed. He had become rather gifted at observing people, and that allowed him to read them without needing verbal communication. Coupled with his semblance, that was the perfect combination for assignments that required stealth. In this case, however, it meant that he had snuck up on Lilian's mother, who proceeded to jump into the air and away from him. She turned around, drawing the longer blade she was wearing at her side, only to be met by its twin.

"Adria, not in here, please. If we must duel, why don't we move this to the arena?" Silver smiled as he shot the comment at his wife. "He didn't mean to startle you. So please do not take it out on him."

Nickel looked at the pair, a quizzical expression on his face. "How do you two....?"

"Have the same weapons?" Adria finished his question, following it up with the answer. "He carries one of my own with him, and vise verse."

"It's our way of remembering each other and traveling together."

"But you two can't possibly be her parents, right?"

The older pair looked at the confused huntsman and smiled simultaneously. They were going to give him a slight history lesson.

~25 years earlier~

"Our next combatants are.... Silver Umber of Mistral and Adria Periwinkle of Vacuo!"

The two combatants walked out into the arena amidst the cheers from the crowd. They were the match that the roaring throng of spectators had come to see fight more than any other, and the stadium was packed almost to capacity. The last time this had happened, it had been to see Team STRQ in their final match before graduating from Beacon.

The human drew one of his weapons and took a ready stance fitting for a fencer as his Faunus opponent took a traditional knife fighting stance.

"3!"  
They stepped closer.

"2!"

The distance closed more.

"1!"

One more step.

"Begin!"

The two brought their blades to bear, meeting in a clash that sent sparks flying. The process repeated until they ended up both disarmed and moving across the field, pulling their second weapons.

It was then that Silver threw his weapon up into the air and seemed to vanish for a moment, until his shadow was seen, as he hurled towards the ground, ready to land a finishing blow. His victory would have been assured, had he not been deflected by his opponent pushing his leg aside as if it were nothing moments before impact.

The human hit harder than he anticipated and lost his grip on the hilt of his rapier, managing to grab one of Adria's knives as he slid across the arena and off the edge of the raised platform, tossing the dagger skyward and warping to it, followed by a quick redirect to the battle ground again.

However, he wouldn't be able to grab his own blade as she had placed her foot under it and kicked the weapon up into her own hand. In a swift reversal, she used the pommel to whack him on the temple, depleting his aura and ending the match.

~Present day~

"So you see, despite having worked together before, we did end up fighting each other."

"And I beat him, fair and square. However, I was a little worried about you after the match."

Silver looked at Adria as she revealed her information. "Why is that?"

"You were bleeding from your nose. A lot."

Nickel was about to question it, when the explanation was dropped in his lap.

"It's the downside to my semblance. Sure, it allows me to rapidly close distances, but it does take its toll on my body. I used it far more than I ever had before that day." He smirked as he continued. "Not to mention it takes way more concentration to focus on these knives than it does to find my own swords."

"But when did you two..."

"After graduation. We kept our relationship a secret from my parents, mostly my father, who was very anti-human after the shafting the kingdoms gave my species. Well, more Atlas than any other, but that still didn't excuse it."

"Yeah. On one of my stops in Vacuo, however, her mother saw us together, followed us to my hotel and managed to walk in on us in the middle of.... things." Silver sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Which was not how I had imagined meeting her parents, to be completely honest. However, it turns out that her mother is the polar opposite of her father, and a staunch supporter of the, at the time, very young, Ghira Belladonna."

Adria cut him off and finished the explanation. "She helped us keep it a secret, and even helped me with hiding the twins' parentage. It worked... for a while. Then they started at Signal Academy, and Umbra managed to make his rapiers, which looked almost exactly like yours. When he saw them, it was the final nail in the coffin for that cover-up. My father knew for certain at that point that Silver was the father."

Nickel sat in silence for a while as he ran over the explanation in his head. It was almost like one of those books that his tutor in the library kept reading in between assisting students with homework. Two individuals, both from very different walks of life. They meet at an unlikely place and fall in love.

He shook his head to remove the rest of the images from his mind, not wanting to picture his partner's parents in the middle of the remaining scenario in the book, having found that the school possessed a few copies and reading it in his spare time.

During all of this, none of them had paid attention to the time, and were slightly shocked to see Lilian return, with Alcian at her side.

"Back for the night?"

"Gonna be at my parents' tonight," Alcian replied. "Just stopped in to grab a change of clothes. Mom hates it if I wear the same thing two days in a row. You should have seen her face when I was accepted into Beacon."

Their brief packing completed, the young couple left, leaving Lilian's parents alone with Nickel once more. They returned their attention to the conversation.

"Any other questions?"


	4. STRQ Realizations

Taiyang looked around the living room of his home in patch. The home that he had built together with the rest of his team. The home where the end of his relationship had happened. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to move or even leave the house to a new owner. For every bad memory, there had to be anywhere from three to seven good ones. 

He had to wipe away a slight tear from his eye as his gaze fell on the photo of his team in their final year at Beacon. No matter how badly he felt, he knew it was one reminder of the better times that they had spent together. All the video Summer had taken of them during their going to school. And one of the few times Qrow had smiled like a massive dork.

He hadn't ever expected his brother-in-law to stick around during it all, especially after Raven left. But he had stepped up to the plate and spent his time helping out when he was in town, even though those moments were few and far between.

It hadn't been long after Raven left that Summer had taken on the role of a surrogate mother to Yang, and she was pregnant with Ruby shortly after that. In the back of his mind, he knew Qrow was chastising him for "moving on too quickly" from Raven, but he also knew that the day she had left, she wouldn't be coming back.

It wasn't long after Ruby was born that both he and Qrow had also agreed to not discuss Raven's departure in front of Yang until she was much older. As for how much older, the two had never seen eye to eye on it, especially after their old shed, which was much farther away had been located by Yang around Ruby's second or third birthday, which had resulted in Qrow saving both girls, bringing them back home with him to the dwelling.

It had been the worst argument he had ever been in with Yang that night. He remembered shouting at her about how irresponsible she had been to take Ruby out into the woods like she had. How they could have been killed if it weren't for their uncle. It was that same night that he had gotten slapped across the face by Qrow after the spat, who proceeded to chew him out about how he should be more glad that the girls were alive. This had also been the night before Summer had left on her last mission.

A knock on the door pulled him out of his reminiscing. He walked over to it and opened the barrier to reveal Qrow, a fresh bottle of whiskey in his hand.

"Care to join me?"

"Come on in, Qrow. When did you get back from Atlas?"

"Last night. Slept in a hotel, then came back here. How long's it been?" Qrow motioned to the picture that Taiyang had absent-mindedly picked up.

"I stopped counting, Qrow. And not a day goes by that I don't miss her."

"I know, Tai. I know. Ruby's the spitting image of her mother, though."

"Both of them are. And I can see so much of Summer in Ruby. And all the best things about Raven in Yang."

Qrow cocked his head to one side before speaking again. "And the bad parts? I'm sure some of the negativity associated with having any Branwen genes has to be there."

"Well, she has got her mother's temper, that's for sure. But, other than that, she's not her mother."

Both men were relieved at their agreement on that.

"Going over the memories again?"

"Yeah. Just... so many of them were in this house."

Qrow finally took the time to glance around. And he knew that the blonde was correct. The four of them had made this as a single level home initially, sleeping on cots. Then Raven had gotten pregnant, so they had started work on the upstairs, instructed by Summer, who was still their ever-present leader and head of schemes.

He could quite vividly recall the days spent building the rooms upstairs, including the room that had once been occupied by both Yang and Ruby. It was strangely quiet with the two of them being the only ones in the house. He realized this and headed into the kitchen, where Taiyang had retrieved two glasses from the cupboards.

"I still remember when you realized that she wasn't coming back."

"Yeah... not my proudest moment."

Qrow looked at his team mate. He could tell that the scars were still there, just hidden a little better than others. He took a sip of his glass, the alcohol leaving a trail of fire down his throat as he did.

After Raven had stormed out, taking with her everything that she had decided was important, Taiyang had gone into a semi-depressed state. It was then that he and Summer had stepped in, and helped him care for Yang. At one point, Qrow had to go away on a mission.

When he returned, there was a new infant in the picture: Ruby. He had remembered being told by Summer that she had been developing feelings for his partner during their time together, and his being with Raven was what had stopped her from acting on them. He had confronted Taiyang about it, who had admitted to getting overly drunk one night, and blurting out how he was falling for Summer as his relationship with Raven had degenerated into arguments.

Pulling himself out of his momentary trance, the scythe-user looked across the table.

"I warned you, Tai. Remember?"

"Yeah. I remember. You warned me that Raven wasn't the type to be a mother. And, looking back on it, you were right. I was wrong."

Qrow reached across the table and pulled the glass out of Taiyang's hands. "If you're gonna go all sappy drunk on me, this ends now."

"I'm not, I swear," Taiyang chuckled, regaining possession of his drink.

He then leaned in closer to the table. "Just so many memories in here. That's all."

Qrow waved his glass, the amber liquid swirling around the inside at the jostling. "I know. Hey! Remember Yang's first haircut?"

"How could I forget!? That was when we had an inkling that she might be a Huntress. I don't think I've ever seen a pair of scissors explode since then!"

The two men laughed as they remembered the scene.

Summer, in her eagerness to keep things a little more tidy than her eventual daughter would, had managed to get Yang to sit still long enough to attempt trimming her slightly unruly head of hair. She had barely managed to begin when the bolt actuating the scissors exploded out in both directions, rendering the cutting apparatus useless. From then on, it was decided to just wash her hair and put it in pigtails until she could control her ability.

"Here's a funny one, Qrow: That time you, after a mission, got drunk, came back, and fell over the back of the couch. We found you the next morning, with your feet in the air, and your head on the floor."

"Hey! That was intentional."

The two began laughing, the laughter dying as they both remembered why they had started their chat in the first place.

"Still haven't told her the full story?"

"Nope. Not once. And, I guess thankfully, she hasn't asked."

The story Qrow mentioned was about the day Summer had died. He remembered it vividly, having been part of the search party that had found her destroyed weapon and tattered cape. Around were all the signs of having been in a fight with a Grimm that none of them had ever seen before. Ahead was a vast expanse of black soil, with no plant life of any kind seeming to be able to take root.

"You know that if we go through with it, that Ruby will see that place. She'll have to fight her, and she can do some pretty messed up things, herself."

"Qrow, you've told me plenty of times about the Grimm that this Salem person can create. And I'm not going to let her get away with it. You, of all people, know that. I just wish it wasn't my daughter who was our trump card."

The blonde looked down at the table as he finished his statement. He knew, deep down, that only a person with Ruby's abilities could possibly defeat her. He knew it had to be her. And, while he had accepted it, he still wished that the situation could have been different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies on this being late. I was gifted a copy of Subnautica, and forgot about my computer for the past couple of days. I now have my phone set to scream at me on Thursdays. That being said, I am considering moving releases to Saturdays to coincide with RT's release schedule. I'm wondering what people would think about that. With that being said, in two weeks, the story will go on a little break mid-volume while my poor, overworked prereader and I sit down and take stock of who is still alive, who is not, who has been MIA without a reason, and the multitudinous other characters that we may or may not have overlooked since the end of Volume 3, as well as looking at how to include some nice plot twists for you all when new content comes out.


	5. COLD VRLN I

In downtown Vale, the members of Team VRLN were meeting up for the first time since they were in school and had decided to make the trip during the Vytal Festival.

"You do realize that neither Russel nor I have slept a full night in a few weeks, right?"

Nero turned to face his former leader and team mate. Violetto was wearing a deep purple button up shirt, over which he sported an unbuttoned black vest. His typical black dress pants were covering his lower half, with the pair of sneakers that he had grudgingly donned at the behest of Russel. Atop his head, however, he sported his typical headgear, hiding his Faunus ears.

"I do, Vio. I do. Also, I thought we said casual?"

The wolf Faunus raised an eyebrow at this. "This IS casual."

"Nero, sweetie," Lilly implored, "We can't expect them to watch Aspen forever."

"Oh yeah! That's right! You two are all domestic now!" Russel's outburst was met with a trio of glares, the harshest coming from the new parents.

"And that, Russel, is why we are at the restaurant just below our apartment," Nero said in a slightly irked yet calm tone. "If we need to rush upstairs, it won't be an issue. However," he turned to face his wife, "I am certain that Ms. Rose can handle one infant Faunus for a couple hours."

Violetto adjusted his glasses, pushing the frames back up his nose. "On top of all that, you raucous ruffian, we can always reconvene at their apartment if need be."

Utterly shut down, Russel crossed his arms, a slight pout on his face. "Whatever."

"Now then," Violetto said, rolling up his sleeves, the cuffs stopping at his elbow, "How have things been in Vale? I don't often make the trip here, what with teaching at Signal and field work."

Nero hung his arm over the back of his chair. Inhaling, he began filling the other half of his team on the goings on over the past few years. He didn't spare a single detail, leading up to the restoration of Beacon and the memorial tournament, which was when they had initially run into each other again.

"I see," the male Faunus replied. "I had a feeling that the reclamation of the academy was a much larger undertaking than that braggart from Atlas claimed it was."

"Vio," Lilly said, placing a hand on his arm, "General Ironwood was purposely downplaying things. Many lives were lost, and so many families were separated from their loved ones on that day. He did so out of respect for those mourning. He is anything but a braggart."

"My apologies to the general, then. On a different note, when are our companions supposed to meet us, again?"

Nero and Lilly glanced around the cafe nervously. They had given the members of Team COLD the right address, and they wouldn't stand them up, would they? 

On Beacon's campus, Dante was rushing through the halls and around corners, followed closely by Caos.

"You didn't need to come with me, you know," he said between breaths.

"True. But it didn't hurt to have mine looked at as well. They're in the same production run."

The swordsman looked back at his partner and nodded. He then hastily whipped out his scroll and started typing.

"What are you doing!?"

"Sending an apology!"

Back in the cafe, Nero and Lilly were starting to sweat. It was looking like his cousin had, in fact, stood them up. Just as their worry was peaking, Nero's scroll buzzed.

~Sender: Dante Volcanus  
~Subject: Running Late  
~Sorry, about this, cuz. Arm was acting up and didn't want to risk any incidents. Just left med wing. Be there ASAP.

The shorter human sighed as he showed Lilly the message.

"Well, with his arm being.... how it is, I would rather he play it safe."

"Agreed, there."

Violetto was intrigued by their female team mate's comment. "His arm is "how it is"? Would you care to elaborate?"

"You know, all.... vwrrr, beep, vwrrr...." Russel joked, mechanically moving his arm and mimicking robotic sounds, much to his team mates' disapproval.

This continued for the better part of the next hour while they waited for the other quartet to arrive. As Team COLD stepped through the door, however, Russel stopped his pantomimed mimicry, his jaw nearly colliding with the floor.

"May I inquire as to why your reaction must be so severe, Russel?"

No sooner had Violetto uttered his inquiry, than Russel and Caos spotted each other.

"Oh not you again!"  
"Oh not you again!"

"Hey! If you're going to fight, take it outside!"

The proprietor of the establishment hollering got the death glares from the two combatants to end with an uneasy truce.

"Dante, do you know something about this?"

"No clue, dude."

Both cousins were stumped by the reaction of their team mates. If anything had happened between them, they were equally oblivious. Not expecting much out of Russel, they turned their attention towards Caos.

"Care to explain, partner?" Dante inquired somewhat hastily, an amused look on his face.

"It was on a mission about 3 months ago...."

~Three months earlier~

"You will be working with a Huntsman from Vale."

"Yes sir."

Caos was standing in Ironwood's office in Atlas, the general having asked for her specifically. The spartan decor was typical of the man, as he appreciated order above almost all else. She was confused by one thing, however.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"Why not pull Winter in for this?"

The military leader motioned to the chair on the opposite side of his desk. Not wanting to make a mistake, she took her seat after he did.

"Specialist Schnee is currently busy ensuring proper running of the Schnee Dust Company along side her sister. I need an operative who won't be distracted in the field at this time."

"No offense, sir, but she would hardly be distracted."

Ironwood placed his scroll on his desk, a detailed series of charts and assorted diagrams popping up.

"As you can see, Caos, the SDC has been under attack lately from an unknown group. She is running damage control as best she can. This compromises her position."

"I understand, sir. My apologies. When do I leave?"

The stubbled leader smiled slightly. "As soon as you're ready."

The flight out, almost two hours later, hadn't been bad, but it was the only one they could safely reroute without compromising air trade. It had no sooner landed than Caos stepped out onto the tarmac.

"Now, where is he..."

"Oh. Lovely. They said I'd be with an Atlas Hunter. Never said anything about some stuffy military bitch."

Russel hopped down from his perch atop a stack of cargo. His loose fitting pants blew in the downdraft generated as the airship lifted off into the sky, a hand on his head, another shoved squarely in his pocket.

"Here's the deal, shiny: I'm not happy about this, and I'm sure you're pretty damn displeased, too. So let's just check this garbage assignment out and get it over with."

Caos scowled at the man, his attitude on a level far surpassing the crass behavior displayed by even Qrow.

"Before you even think about uttering another word, HERE is the "deal":  
1) The name is Caos. But you can call me 'sir'." Not ma'am. And definitely not what you just said. Use that again, and I. Will. End. You.  
2) Just because I am in a uniform does not mean that I am fresh from the academy.  
3) Damn straight I'm not happy about this."

She smirked as she pulled her shades down slightly. "Capiche? Now, let's get this "garbage" over with."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally supposed to happen in Volume 7, but it didn't make sense to put it there after I reached the midpoint. So I pushed it back to 9, as 8 was almost completely planned out. Now, it's here, and I'm proud to say that I am definitely satisfied with it.


	6. COLD VRLN II

On a bluff overlooking the docks in Mistral, Caos and Russel were waiting, concealed by unmarked shipping containers. The latter was still miffed at having to deal with an Atlas Specialist. The former was also none too thrilled about her impromptu assigned partner, but she didn't show it on the outside.

It wasn't long before the group responsible made themselves known. In a risky move, attacking at twilight, they appeared from trucks that had gained access a mere hour earlier. Almost immediately, Caos recognized one of them.

"Oh, Ruby is not gonna like hearing this."

"Hearing what, brass brain? That you're incomp..."

Russel was silenced as Caos shoved her mechanical hand over his mouth and pointed towards the dock. The rusty-haired huntsman looked out and his eyes filled with rage.

"Is that seriously the group I think it is?"

"White Fang? Yeah. But why no branding this time?"

"Who cares? Also, what's with Little Bunny Foo Foo?"

Caos glowered at him for a moment, then dropped over the edge and behind another set of crates.

"Never any answers with these types. Always just 'go go go'," Russel commented to nobody, and jumped down as well, pulling out his weapon.

"We are here to observe only. Don't... rush off...." Caos was stopped mid sentence as her problematic partner rushed out, swinging his weapon into the crowd, causing several of them to scatter.

In an instant, their leader disappeared, followed closely by a few other members of the raiding group. Russel, in his fervor, began to chase them on foot, until Caos stepped in his way.

"What!? Got a problem?"

"Oh yes. We have a MAJOR problem."

The debriefing was quick, with the police thanking them for apprehending the fifteen members that they had, the unconscious criminals being carted away in ambulances under heavy guard. No sooner had they reached the port, than Caos noticed that Russel was turning and leaving.

"Where do you think you're going!?"

"Anywhere you're not!"

~Present day~

Dante looked at his partner. "So that explains the "brainless oaf that nearly ruined the mission" you mentioned, as well as your sour mood."

Violetto was aghast at his partner's behavior. "You said WHAT to her!? And called her WHAT!?"

Russel threw his hands in the air. "You all know I loathe the military."

"Dude," Nero interjected, "Your weapon is the closest of all of us to a military-use weapon."

"And you all know I don't do so well when forced to sit still," he continued.

"No arguments there," was the unified response from his remaining team members.

"Oh, sure. Thanks for the backup. And I'm sure you all are such paragons of virtue."

Before the situation could escalate, the group left the shop, and headed up the stairs to the rooftop apartment, where Ruby was busy with Aspen. Upon arrival, Lilly disappeared for a bit to assist Ruby with diaper changing, which she discovered the speedy scythe user was quite adept at. The rest of the group went out onto the exposed patio and continued talking.

"I'll be the first to admit that I am not exactly innocent of doing anything stupid after The Fall," Dante spit out.

"I ran. I ran and joined an underground fighting ring. These," he said, tapping the trio of scars on his face, "are my 'reward' for being careless. I let my anger get the better of me and fought somebody way out of my league."

He then held up his arm. "And this? This is because I rushed in recklessly to help my partner," he made a point to put special emphasis on the word as he said it, "during a fight against a sneak attack."

"My record with the military isn't exactly spotless, either," Caos continued the conversation. "I have a tendency to get argumentative, and I have numerous infractions from various CO's who don't understand my reasoning behind the glasses. The general finally had to get a physician to forge a light sensitivity prescription for me. The rest has to do with the M37A Knights that went haywire during The Fall. I wrote the safety protocols in the OS. The same protocols that failed that day."

"I was kinda freezing my butt off in deep cover with the...." Obsidian's statement was cut off as Caos, Dante and Lapis covered his mouth.

"What?" The bat Faunus was confused at the sudden shushing he had gotten.

"Far better to leave it at classified, my dude," Nero said. Outside of his team, Nero was the only one who was even remotely aware of the assignment, thanks to his wife having been one of the surgeons working on Obsidian's limb replacement when they had come back from the glacial shelf.

He had made the arm delivery for the technicians, and Obsidian, in his slightly drugged up state, was telling them EVERYTHING about his mission. All had been sworn to secrecy.

"I ran, too," Lapis admitted quietly. "I just ran home to Vytal. Back to my village. I... I didn't know where else to turn."

"And Russel, before you run your mouth again, I seem to remember you disappearing to Vacuo to... how did you say it... oh yes! You went to Vacuo to "distance yourself from the chaos and destruction in Vale"," Violetto caught the instigator with his pants down with this, causing him to stumble over his words. "However, I also became a recluse, hiding on Signal's campus during the whole thing."

He turned to look at Nero. "You and your wife were the only ones who were actively participating with the reclamation force, albeit under assumed names. So the only two who I believe get to comment on how it went before the final push are Nero and Lilly."

"Oh no, Vio," Nero retorted. "Caos was there, too. She was organizing border strike teams, and constantly wearing herself out in the field day after day to make sure things went smoothly. When Ironwood wouldn't let her go out? She would hole up in a tent working on fixing those robots. If anything, she saved untold numbers of lives."

The seven were then joined by Lilly, with the infant in tow. The octet kept talking well into the evening, their shared stories of missions and various other exploits, excluding explicit ones, keeping them entertained for hours.

Glancing down as she pulled her scroll out, the device vibrating, Caos called an end to the day.

"It's getting late. We should all head to our respective beds."

The whole group in agreement, they parted ways. As soon as they were out of earshot, Dante leaned in towards his partner. "What's up?"

Caos looked at him, concern on her face. "He struck again."

"You don't mean?"

"Oh yes. That boy is going to be a problem if he isn't stopped."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those wondering on the title for these past two, it was intended to revolve around two teams interacting with one another: Team COLD (cold) and Team VRLN (Vermillion). This version of Team VRLN, while similar to the one mentioned in Just One Date, is not identical, for reasons I would hope were obvious (All hail fanfictions creating a multi-verse, right?).


	7. Party Splitting

"Wait. What do you mean that you knew Dante before he started teaching here!?"

Nora was grilling their visitor, who was waiting for Dante to finish teaching his class. Ebony was wearing a different outfit from her usual, uniform-style wear, opting instead for a button up shirt, with fitted bottoms and a pair of flats.

"I knew him before he was Professor Volcanus, yes. Back when we were still students. Even then, he was headstrong and stubborn. But he could really fight."

The hammer queen plopped down, her time without her twins was scarce, but Ren was keeping them busy, along with Yang and Blake's daughters, the other two women assisting in the endeavor. She wasn't going to miss a chance to pry into history, anyway.

"Go on...."

Ebony sighed. She hadn't planned on giving up information of a personal nature to a total stranger, much less one of her lover's former students. But she realized that she wasn't getting out of it unless she told the other woman something. So she began.

"We were seniors at our respective academies. We had met during the Vytal Festival tournament. Things... got heated pretty fast."

"So you two are... serious?"

"I... uh... we... er..."

"Ms. Valkyrie. How can I help you, today?" Dante's interruption was both unexpected and welcomed.

"Awww.... No info, eh?" Nora deflated partially, feeling that she was cheated out of a juicy tidbit about somebody she looked up to.

"Not quite sure what you wanted out of her, but no. No info. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

The prying ended, the trio headed off in two directions, with Ebony and Dante returning to his office at the front of the classroom, while Nora returned to her children and husband.

"Thanks... for back there." Ebony brushed an errant strand of hair out of her vision.

"Don't worry about it. Nora... tends to pry. A lot. Into everybody's lives. Every. Single. Day. I think she's just bored."

The slightly tanned huntress scrunched her face at the statement. "Bored? Of what? She graduated from here, didn't she?"

"Not exactly. She was part of the Reclamation. All Huntsmen and Huntresses who were students prior to the fall either disappeared back to their families or were decided to be beyond teaching capabilities. They were pushed ahead to graduation."

"So.... she skipped a few years. No big. Happens all the time, right?"

"Not on this scale. We had over 75 from Beacon alone. And, of those, she was among three teams that were primary frontline combatants."

Ebony was now listening intently as Dante relayed all the information to her about happenings. She wouldn't say it all the time, but she loved it when he would start running numbers and act like a normal teacher, as opposed to a Huntsman Academy Professor who taught Advanced Weapons and Repair.

"The teams were CFVY, who I have a feeling you may have met at some point, RWBY, which I know you've had encounters with by now, and JNPR, which was her team. Of that last team, Nora and Ren are the only surviving members."

The last line shook her for a moment. "Only surviving members? How is that possible?"

"When we lost the school initially, one of them gave her life to buy time for the evacuation of the campus. Her name was Pyrrha Nikos. Then, when we retook the school, their leader sacrificed himself to kill the woman who had led the attack. And we are STILL getting mail from his family asking us why we even let their son fight in the first place."

"Why did you, then? It seems like he shouldn't have been on the battlefield from the sound of things."

Dante looked down before inhaling and answering. He didn't like to dredge up the memories. The young man he knew he was responsible for assisting in his plans for revenge.

"Jaune Arc was seemingly focused on revenge. I tried talking him out of it. Ruby tried. We all did. There was no stopping him. He wanted to fight, and actually helped Ruby come up with the deployment patterns for the campus assault. And then he...."

He stopped as the memories of the memorial being unveiled flooded back. It had been an emotional day for all of them when Jaune and Pyrrha's forms were revealed, immortalized in stone.

He looked up as Ebony's hand caressed his cheek, her thumb wiping away the tears that seemed to have come from nowhere.

"You don't need to say any more. I understand now."

He looked up, his gaze fixated on her eyes. He could see that she had something else on her mind, but didn't want to say it.

"What's wrong?"

"They want me back at Haven Academy. The headmaster is acting weird, and..."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"But your team is here. I can't ask you to leave them! Not when you just got Ozpin back. Not when you have classes to teach!"

Dante held up a finger as he made his counterarguments.

"Okay. First, they got on just fine on their own before. Second, Oz returning is great, but that doesn't involve me directly as of yet. And 3, I took over this class to lessen the load on my cousin. I'm certain that he, or even Ruby can take it without any issues while I do this."

He stepped around his desk to pull her into a gentle embrace. "Besides, you came all the way out here from Haven Academy in the middle of a semester to help me, remember?"

Ebony smiled at the comeback. "You're right. You had better let Ozpin know, though. Before Glynda hounds you for paperwork."

The pair abandoned the office to head towards the headmaster's office, fully prepared for a denial.

Two hours later, and they were sitting with the other members of Team COLD under a tree.

"I just can't believe that Glynda okayed that," Dante finished.

Caos looked slightly stunned. She had known that her partner would probably want to take a trip soon, but she hadn't expected it to be right in the middle of a semester. "And just who is it that is going to teach your class, fool?"

"Nero's got it covered. I asked him on the way out here."

The blonde staff expert put her head in her palm. "If you come back with a mini.... you..."

Both Dante and Ebony interjected, their faces slightly irked. "Would you knock it off!?"

Calming slightly faster, Ebony pulled out her scroll. "Besides, I'll be busy with teaching during the day. Dante is merely going to be there to observe the visitors to the campus, per Ozpin's request."

She stood, pocketing the device, and shot her lover a look.

"And," he finished, "that is a sign that we need to go. I should be back in a couple months. Otherwise, I'll catch you all when things get sorted out. Hopefully."


	8. The Other Half

The young couple stood in front of the large doors, and the shorter one paled as she looked up.

"You didn't say you were.... you know!"

"Lil', I never do. I don't like to flaunt it."

Both Lillian and Alcian had just arrived at the latter's home, which was far bigger than the former was used to seeing. The massive oak doors framed in grey marble being, she hoped, the extent of the fancy for this night.

"Well, why don't we head on in?"

"Isn't that... kinda.... rude?" Lillian let her timid side out again, just a little.

"We called ahead. Besides, I want them to see us together. Dad has only seen your picture."

Alcian reached out and placed her hand on Lillian's face, the Faunus nuzzling into the warmth of her girlfriend's palm slightly.

"Alright. Then in we go. I'm just glad you talked me into these versus my... more recent wardrobe choices." True enough, Lillian had traded her more recent choice of a tight-fitting all-terrain combat garment for a pair of black slacks, and a pale blue button-up shirt, with her new accessory of the jacket thrown over it.

"You really like that jacket, eh?"

"You gave it to me. So yes."

"The two of you are adorable, but are you going to come in? Or would you rather I bring blankets out to the porch for you?"

The couple jumped as Alcian's father spoke up, neither of them having seen the door open.

"Dad!"

"Sorry about that, sweetheart. Your mother heard you two talking on the porch and had me come and check it out." He then turned to look at Lillian. "Please, come in."

As they entered, a slender woman, with slightly graying hair, ran from a side doorway and scooped Alcian up in a massive hug.

"Oh dear, its been so long since you were last home!" She released her near death grip on the taller student when she noticed Lillian. "And you're even cuter than she said you were! Come here and give me a hug!"

"Moooooooom....."

"Dear, you're embarrassing her."

Lillian snapped out of her momentary surprise to make an attempt at a greeting. "H-hello, ma'am. My-- my name's Lillian Peri...." She was stopped as Alcian's mother scooped her up in a hug.

"It's nice to meet you finally! Oh! Where are my manners?" She released the Faunus. "I'm Chrys, and this is my husband, Pine."

"Dear, please." Pine was nearly pleading with his wife at this point.

"Oh please. They're fine, see," she gestured in the general direction of the couple. "Besides, we...."

And they continued talking at a rapid pace. Lillian inched closer to Alcian, and, when in range, whispered in her ear. "I can see why you'd want to leave home."

"Nah. I wanted to make a difference. They're just a little... smothering to new people. Embarrassing to me in public, though. Which is why I try to only go out with one of them."

"You've both arrived just in time for dinner, though!"

The pair were escorted into the dining room, which was larger than Lillian had expected, having been living in dorms for several years, as travelling home to Vacuo was not the most feasible thing for her growing up. Still, she had made the choice to study at Signal, and hadn't regretted it one bit.

She was so lost in thought, that she was able to ignore several accidental slips about her brother's whereabouts from Alcian's father.

"Dad, she's right here. I'd rather not set her off, okay?"

"Ah darn it. I'm sorry, dear. I just... I'm sorry."

The Faunus snapped out of her trance as she suddenly felt all the eyes on her. "I'm sorry, I spaced for a moment. What were we talking about?"

"Dad was making a fool of himself."

"And I was saying that it is horrid what your brother did to you."

"MOM!"  
"CHRYSANTHIMUM!"

Both Alcian and Pine turned towards Chrys, a mortified expression on their faces. Alcian had warned them ahead of time that the subject was incredibly touchy and wanted to keep it off-limits.

"It's not a big deal," Lillian said, reaching across the table to put her hand on Alcian's. "I mean, it is, but I know I can't run from it forever."

She stood, and turned to face the older human. "You're right. What he did to me was horrible. And it has taken me this long to even work up the nerve to leave campus. What he did left me with these."

She removed her jacket while continuing to talk, and began cuffing her sleeves, revealing the unpainted prosthetics.

"They're not glamorous, or what I would have wanted for myself, but they are a part of me. And I'm going to continue to fight, despite what happened. To prevent this from happening to anyone else," she froze as she noticed the stares. "I hope. I mean... I.... I'll sit down now."

Chrys immediately rose and walked over to the young Faunus. "Dear, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, or hurt you. I just let that out."

Lillian put her hand on the older woman's shoulder. "I know you didn't mean anything rude by it. I appreciate that Alcian warned you ahead of time about this, too. I stand by what I said, though. As for your daughter, she still wants to be with me, despite this. And I need people like her right now. I need... I need her."

Alcian's mother pulled her into another hug, which she didn't release until Alcian tapped her on the shoulder.

"Mom? It's kinda... kinda late now."

"Oh! Oh my. I'm so sorry! Alcian, sweety, can you show her to a room?"

"We can share a room, mom. Been doing it all this time."

The older human was in shock until she remembered that they were attending classes at Beacon.  
"That's right! You're in dorms! You two get some sleep, alright?"

As they headed up a staircase and around a corner, Lillian squeezed Alcian's hand. "Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it. Mom loves giving hugs. She just... doesn't always know when to..."

"Stop?"

"Yeah. So," the human said, changing the topic, "this is my room."

She opened the double doors to the largest bedroom the Faunus had seen in her life. A bed much larger than the ones in their dorm seemed to dominate the far wall, the posts reaching almost all the way to the ceiling. The carpet was a pale blue, with a hard wood section near a large glass door that seemed to open to a balcony. Matching curtains hung from all the windows, the outside light faintly sneaking through the fabric, casting a calming blue hue across the room.

"Coming in? Or just gonna stand in the door?" Alcian inquired with her hand on her hip, the palm turned outward.

"This... is... your... room...?"

"Ayup. And it used to be pink."

Lillian scrunched her nose at this, an eyebrow raising above the other as she cocked her head to one side. "Pink?"

"Doubt me if you wish, but I was, at one point, far more into the whole 'girly thing' than I am now."

The Faunus had to suppress a slight giggle, but it was too late, she had been found out.

"I missed hearing that."

"Hearing what?"

"Your laugh. I missed it."

Alcian walked across the room and reached out an arm, pulling her Faunus girlfriend closer and into the room. Unintentionally, however, she lost her balance and they stumbled backwards, falling onto the bed in a slightly embarrassed mess.

"Still, I feel like I'm home here," Lillian said, removing herself from the tangle of limbs.

"Then why don't we keep coming back here? It's the first time I've felt like this was home, myself."

The pair nodded in silent agreement and changed their clothes. They climbed into bed, and fell asleep, Lillian nestled close to Alcian, who kept an arm around her all through the night.


	9. Haven Academy

As the couple stepped off the airship, Dante stretched out, having been asked to remain seated during the entire flight leaving him with cramps and stiffness in areas he hadn't previously thought possible. As his spine realigned itself, a loud popping was heard, noticeably audible to those around him.

"What? Usually I'm able to move around."

Ebony smiled as he explained himself. She knew how it was on field deployments, where Huntsmen and Huntresses were allowed to freely move about the back of the airship. Neither of them was exactly used to civilian flights.

"And I'm certain that they shout all the time in Vale, I assume."

They turned to face the source of the new voice, to be met by a human who was pushing his jet black hair back into place. The man stood around 6'1", with bright green eyes and a well trimmed goatee. His more formal samurai-styled attire making it seem as though he didn't belong at the school, but in a movie.

"Nice to see you, too, Cam."

"Ebony, please, keep your....," he looked Dante up and down, finally settling on his insult as he noticed Dante's left arm, "...cyborg in check."

Dante snickered as he brushed off the underhanded comment. "If that was an attempt at an insult, it was weak."

"Professor Laurel, please. Not now. We just landed and...."

"Of that, I am well aware. I was merely walking over to inform you," he shot his glaring eyes back towards Dante, "that we are not like Beacon. There are formalities to follow, and if you so much as step out of line, I can, and will, have you removed from the campus. Permanently."

"Campher, back off."

The interruption came just as Ebony and Dante were about to pummel the taller human, from another source. They turned to be met with Marigold tapping her foot.

"Professor Liliflora, I was merely explaining to our... guest... and I use that term loosely... that we are not like his relaxed school."

Mari stomped over towards him and placed a hand on his wrist, yanking the towering teacher down to eye level with her. "I noticed. I also noticed that you had decided to threaten them right off the bat. Get out of here. I'll take care of the tour and explanation."

She narrowed her eyes at her coworker.

"Now... GET!"

She then returned her attention to Ebony and Dante.

"It's been a while, Dante. And Ebony, your class is waiting for you to come back to it. Only one issue student, but it was handled."

Ebony put her hands on her hips. "Let me guess. The one who is always staring at my chest and rear as opposed to paying attention in class? We'll handle it."

"Who? And How?"

"Dante, trust me. All you need to do is act like we are dating, possibly engaged, and not just what we are."

Marigold put her head in her hands. "That has to be the worst way to handle it, but whatever."

She returned to the task at hand. "I'd like to apologize for Professor Laurel. He is stressed due to a recent visitor who claims to be from Vacuo."

Dante perked up slightly at this. "You said 'claims to be'. Why do you think they aren't?"

The trio began walking across the campus, which involved many flights of stairs. As they traveled, they continued their conversation, stopping when a student drew too close.

"1: They are a he. Pretty sure of that. And 2: He is far overdressed for that region. However, he does match descriptions of one of the lab assistants working under Doctor Merlot in Mountain Glenn."

As the taller of the two women rattled off the information she knew, Dante was able, based on a very public database, to narrow things down. "Only one of those was unaccounted for, Mari. Arthur Watts."

He turned his scroll to face her. "This look like him?"

"It would be a 100% match if he were shaved." She pantomimed his moustache.

Up in the headmaster's office, Watts was staring out of a window. He knew what was coming was going to be an up scaled version of the attack on Beacon, but he had made some changes to the plan, including keeping the newest member of their circle out of it. While he was sure that the young Faunus wouldn't betray them, his hatred of humanity too great, he didn't like that an airship had come in from the reclaimed academy.

"If you'll excuse me, I need to make a call. Salem does appreciate her updates."

He exited, and standing in a side hallway, extricated his scroll from its holster inside his jacket. Opening the device, he placed it to his ear.

"Yes. I may have a potential... complication."

"No... I don't need any extra time. But the loss of Cinder was a blow to our effort."

"No, milady. I don't foresee any issues with them gaining access. The airship dock is definitely locked down, but I can assure you that our forces are in place."

"Of course. It should go over perfectly."

Pulling the device away, he pocketed it, and returned to the office.

"You promised, doctor. You promised that the students could leave before you made any moves."

Arthur circled the table in the center of the office, before taking a seat on the couch. "Then you had best move things up. The last airship contained a man from Beacon. Sent at Ozpin's request, no doubt."

Professor Lionheart's pupils dilated at the statement, a cold sweat taking hold on his brow. "But... but you said that your mentor had him locked away."

Watts leaned forward, his wiry frame nearly bent in half over the low table. "That is what I believed, yes. However, it would seem that Branwen is dead, as well as he."

"Qrow? Qrow is dead?"

"Oh heavens no. He is the one who did the killing. Nasty business, I suppose. Combination sororicide and matricide. And it was Raven's daughter who did the noble scientist in. No matter, though. His greatest creation will serve us, no matter the outcome."


	10. Underestimation

Two weeks had passed since Dante had arrived at Haven, and several more instructors, Huntsmen, and Huntresses had arrived, under the guise of visiting their colleagues. They would then leave the campus, and step into the shadier part of town and disappear into the crowd, only to be replaced by Atlas robots dressed in a copy of their clothing. These machines would leave under cover of darkness, causing people to believe that the arrivals were leaving just as they came.

The entire ruse would come to a head when, after another week, an explosion was heard from the campus. Rushing to the windows, Dante and Ebony were witness to several pillars of smoke billowing from the campus below. Glancing at each other, they knew what had happened. They dropped the papers they were sorting and ran out of the door, grabbing their weapons in the process.

Up in the headmaster's office, Watts was observing the opening strains of his magnum opus. He would succeed where Adam and the White Fang, no, where Cinder had failed. Without relying on the White Fang, he wouldn't have been able to get to where he needed to in terms of the number of Grimm that would soon flood the school, ending the lives of the unprepared students, as well as the civilians that were walking around.

He turned his back to the window as a pair of familiar silhouettes darted away from a lower building, shaking his head at the turn of events.

"W...where are you going?"

"To ensure the success of this plan, Leonardo. You just stay in your office and don't worry about a thing," he said, his smirk widening. He had never expected it to have been so easy to convince another headmaster to let him pull off a plan like this, so he was more than surprised that he had come this far. In his confidence, he scooped up a handful of dust rounds and began loading them into a small revolver that he had produced from his jacket. The taller male then left the office, the chamber of his gun snapping into place loudly.

At the edge of the campus, Dante was meeting with the other Huntsmen and Huntresses.

"I know that you have had to stop suddenly acting like yourselves in order to hide, but this is for the good of Haven Academy."

He looked around as a few familiar faces suddenly stood out to him. He knew deep down that he wouldn't have been able to stop them from arriving if he had wanted, so he pulled them aside.

"What are you all doing here?"

"Well... you see... we...."

"It was Ruby's idea to come here."

"Yeah. And I feel naked without my cape.... Also, can I repaint Crescent Rose later? She just doesn't look right without her paint."

Weiss sighed as she smiled. She was glad that her partner's optimism hadn't changed one bit over the years, despite everything they had been through. It was that same eagerness and almost child-like enthusiasm that kept her coming back to the younger woman.

"Yes. Once this is all over, you can make it red again. But we needed to hide it. It is far too conspicuous normally."

Reassured that her weapon could look how she wanted soon enough, Ruby returned her attention to their former instructor. "The rest of your team is here, too, you know."

Dante looked at her, his expression unmoving. "I'm very aware of that. Caos probably got Ironwood to assign her to it, and brought the other two with her."

"Actually," the voice came from behind him, "I came on my own. And I brought Lapis with me. Sid came along on his own."

"Alright. So there are...." Dante did a count, looking around him. "There are seven of us. Lovely. So no way to safely split it up."

"Actually, professor," Weiss interrupted, "There is. You go with your team."

"No offense, Ms. Schnee," Caos corrected, "That isn't an option. I'm already leading a group of faculty and androids. At your sister's request."

"Winter.... is here?"

"Oh no. She's in Atlas. But she delivered the message with Qrow and Taiyang. They're waiting to show up... until whenever they show up."

"Ayup," Ruby said, "that sounds like Qrow."

"Mr. Branwen said he and your father would be assisting in efforts should the city come under attack, I believe," Lapis stopped Ruby in her words.

Down in the town, Qrow and Taiyang were leaning on a wall, their heads craned towards the campus, listening for sounds of fighting.

"Anything?"

"Nadda, Tai."

Qrow proceeded to pull out his flask to take a sip, only to find it empty. "Damn."

"Didn't you say you would cut back?"

"Well, duh. I did. I haven't actually gotten drunk in a long time, I'll have you know. Just wish..."

"You wish Winter would have been here?"

"You shut your mouth!" The taller of the two shot back, his face showing a slight blush not caused by intoxication but minor embarrassment. "Besides, we need to make sure that the people here are safe if they use Grimm."

"Fair point. Wanna go get a drink while we wait?"

"I'm with you on that one."

The two then headed across the street to the open air pub, which, while crowded, was quiet enough to allow them to hear any potential sounds of fighting.

Back up on the campus, the first group of defenders were busy silently subduing the few visible members of the attacking force, who, being impatient, had come out of hiding far too early, sending the group led by Sage and Scarlet into action.

"I'm not sure how long they'll be busy for."

"You mean before they come looking?"

"Exactly. At least I won't get sand in my shoes this time."

As they returned to the bushes, their unconscious targets in tow, another group came around and entered the building, led by a pair of Faunus dressed from head to toe in black.

"And those two are too quiet."

"Yeah. And one of 'em is tall. Like... really really tall."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figure I should say this now: Another hiatus is inbound in two chapters. I haven't had much drive to write, so I'm not sure when this will end, but I need to get more than two chapters written for the next part. I'd much rather take my time here and have it come naturally.
> 
> To those who have been continuing to read this, I do, again, thank you. I never expected to be still writing the same story over 2 years later, and you give me the drive to do it.


	11. Overconfidence

Inside the building, Obsidian removed the mask covering his face. He knew that his would have been easily identified by any White Fang operatives, and had chosen to disguise it, as much as a mask would really obscure identification of a 6' tall Faunus.

"We're in," he said into a head mounted microphone.

Outside, Dante had begun leading a group of students towards the stairs leading out of the academy and into the town. Before they could get there, a mountain of an opponent loomed before them.

The swordsman turned to the group he was with.

"You all follow Ebony out of here."

The students, rather than follow instructions, drew their weapons, ready to fight.

"I said go! Now! Get out of here!"

"So nice to see that you haven't lost that spark, tiny human. It'll be nice to fight you again."

Dante's face was puzzled for a moment before it clicked who was in front of him.

"You!"

The Faunus smirked as he saw the realization dawn on his chosen target's face. Reaching up, he removed his mask.

"That's right. And here I thought I would never run into you again. I owe you for this gift you gave me back in Atlas!"

With the mask removed, it was clear that he had a pair of scars running across his face, the remnants of wounds forming a jagged x on his face.

"That's what you're mad at me for?" The Huntsman smirked. "You're expecting me to believe that you joined the White Fang simply to fight me again?"

"That's the point!"

The Faunus rushed at him, the shorter combatant reaching out and redirecting his weapon with his prosthetic.

"Ebony! Get. Them. Out of here! Now!"

With a nod, the shorter of the two humans turned and took the students off with her, leaving the match to go on uninterrupted.

"Still the bleeding heart. Tell me: Has it changed since Beacon was taken back? Or are you all still ignorant!?"

Back inside, the infiltration team had encountered a series of unexpected enemies: White Fang branded mecha. The group they were with was anything but a pushover, with the members of Team CFVY taking care of the unarmored opponents, while Obsidian and Lapis kept the armored battle suits busy, only barely managing to make dents in the layered armor.

The pair had to duck behind some of the more sturdy walls to avoid the punch delivered by one of the colossal war machines.

"This... isn't... working...." Obsidian huffed out. Even in his time with the White Fang, he had never seen a show of force on this scale before.

The pair braced for impact as their target's arm went up, only to never have the impact arrive; the limb falling useless to the ground with a heavy thud as Velvet landed, what looked to be a copy of Obsidian's sword fading away as she did.

"These weapons get more and more.... Lapis!"

His realization and shout reached her too late. The other arm whipped around as the mech, now slightly off balance, stumbled and collided with her. As the pair slid forward, Lapis' Aura finally gave out, and she let out a blood curdling scream as the machine continued to slide towards the edge of the room, taking her hand with it.

Back outside, Ebony had managed to get the kids to the edge of the town, where Qrow and Taiyang were waiting.

"Alright. What's happening up there?"

"White Fang are on campus. They're probably doing a number on the group that went inside. Dante is soloing a giant of a Faunus who seems to know him, and you two are down here...." Ebony's face contorted slightly as the smell from Qrow hit her. "You are DRINKING!? Now!?"

"To be fair, we've each only had one."

"Taiyang Xiao Long, I do NOT want to hear it!"

"Hey... hey... no need to get hostile towards us, now."

"Hostile? HOSTILE!? I have not even come close to that," Ebony backed down a little, a sharp inhalation bringing her back to focus on the task at hand.

"Forget the booze. Both of you need to get these kids away from the campus. Then come right back here. Do. You. Understand?" As she barked the orders, Ebony put her hands on her hips in a way that reminded the two grown men of a mother scolding a child.

She then watched as the now adrenalin sobered Huntsmen led the first groups away from the staircase. "I just hope he's okay."


	12. Stumbling

Back on the campus, Dante was anything but okay. Their fight had moved into the main building, and he was losing ground fast. As he silently cursed himself for having not brought Ruby and Weiss with him, the latter's glyphs being something he sorely longed to make use of at the moment, he continued to defend against the onslaught of swings.

The claw weapons the Faunus was wielding were intimately familiar to him, as he still bore the scars they had left on his cheek. And yet, here he was, losing to them. To a weapon he knew he could stop.

As he caught them on the edge of his blades, he spat out a question.

"What is your problem with me!?"

The Faunus momentarily eased up before pushing back even harder, the locked metal sending showers of sparks as they ground against each other.

"You don't remember the one kill you had in the arenas in Atlas? He was my twin! And you murdered him!"

Dante pushed back even harder, activating his semblance as the edge of the blades began to glow.

"He was going to chop my head off! Now you tell me if I should give a damn that he's dead!"

The end of the statement unnerved his opponent enough to allow the smaller human to twist his blades, torquing the fragile claws. As they sheered off, Dante smirked.

His victory would be short lived. The taller Faunus rushed him, the tackle catching him off guard as the muscular shoulder collided with his rib cage. Castor and Pollux clattered to the ground, the edges ceasing to glow as he had stopped touching them.

"Fine. If you don't give a damn that he's dead," The Faunus rose to his full height as he spoke, "then I don't give a damn if you never fight again!"

He grabbed onto Dante's arm, his left hand clenching the upper arm in a death grip, as he began squeezing the prosthetic attachment. It didn't take long for the thin metal plates to begin to buckle and deform. As it began crushing, internal mechanisms began grinding, their operational tolerances being exceeded rapidly with the new pressure before sparking and deforming themselves. As the small hydraulic and electrical systems failed, one by one, the hand went limp, swinging loosely on a ball joint that was now only held in place by the leading edge of the socket.

Deciding that he had done enough damage to the arm, He moved his attention to pummeling the remaining aura out of Dante.

Picking him up over his head, he swung him around like a rag doll, slamming him into a nearby pillar repeatedly. He then finished his assault by spiking the shorter being into the ground head first.

"Say goodnight, you murderous...."

He would never get to finish his statement as he doubled over and collapsed to the ground. Just before he passed out, he saw a female form walking over to where Dante lay unconscious.

~A few moments earlier~

Ebony had returned to the campus and located Ruby and Weiss. The pair had managed to corner a few members of the White Fang and were wrapping up a decidedly one-sided fight.

"Did you see where Dante went?"

"Inside, I think. He wasn't looking too good flying through the wall."

"Ruby, there is literally no way to look good when you are being thrown through any barrier."

"Which wall!?" Ebony shouted, panic evident in her voice.

All Ruby had to do was point. As she followed the direction the limb was aimed, she saw the rather large, impromptu entry added to the main building. The gashes in the ground told her that his opponent was using a pair of claw weapons, and that Dante had tried to stop himself from being thrown.

She reached the building just in time to see her lover slammed into the floor in a manner not unlike a child recklessly slamming a ball to the ground, his aura shimmering around him as it gave out, the crimson energy disappearing as he lay crumpled on the ground.

His opponent then stepped forward and raised his foot over the prone human's head.

She didn't hesitate. Unleashing a single shot, she sent the mammoth Faunus to the floor, the concussion round she had loaded being less than lethal, but still powerful enough to take out an exhausted opponent. She then walked over to Dante and eased him up as Ruby and Weiss entered.

"I'm gonna need some help. I think he's unconscious. Also, be careful with the... arm."

She let out a slight gasp as she noticed the state of his prosthetic. The appendage was bent outwards 45 degrees, the innards clearly stressed and hyper-extended. The once smooth plates were now mangled and torn. It looked like a photograph from a horrific machine shop accident, just without all the blood and viscera that would have accompanied a flesh and bone limb.

A few hours later, the battle was over. The remaining conscious Huntsmen and Huntresses had managed to corner Watts and were holding him in place. Qrow and Taiyang were escorting the former headmaster out to a waiting crowd, his hands behind his back.

"I just don't understand it. You were one of the ones Oz trusted the most."

"Of course you don't understand it, Qrow. You still think you can beat her. Salem cannot be defeated."

Qrow smirked as he leaned in towards the Faunus traitor's ear. "That's where you're wrong, Leo. She can be defeated, and we will do it. You can be sure of that."

He straightened up again as he relinquished control to two Atlas mechs. "Get him out of my sight."

Qrow then began walking away, Taiyang having parted with him to go see how Ruby was doing. He didn't get far before a voice rang out behind him.

"For somebody who once called them "garbage", you seem to not mind giving them orders."

A slight smirk came over his face again, replacing the scowl that had adorned it only seconds prior.

"Well you see, Ice Queen, these ones are with you, so I tolerate them."

Winter smirked back at him as she descended from the bowels of the airship. "Seems like you didn't need us here, after all."

"Nah. I think the kids had it under control."

The two watched as Lapis and Dante were removed on stretchers.

"Well... Mostly under control."


End file.
